Wildlife biologists from the University of Alberta and the University of Minnesota have given high marks to B.C.’s grizzly bear management, including the grizzly bear hunt lottery that attracts foreign hunters each year.

B.C.’s management program has “attained a high level of rigor and a solid scientific underpinning modified as necessary by professional judgment, the experts concluded in a report commissioned by the forests ministry and released this week.

The report makes 51 recommendations for improving grizzly habitat protection and estimating population and harvest level in each wildlife management region of the province.

The report recommends the government increase public consultation on grizzly bear harvest management. It also recommends B.C. “establish objectives for accommodating both hunting and viewing of grizzly bears, and investigate whether conflicts exist.”

The full report can be found here.